Semen Analysis

Semen analysis, also known as a sperm count test, analyses the health and viability of a man’s sperm. Semen is the fluid containing sperm (plus other sugar and protein substances) that’s released during male ejaculation.
A semen analysis measures three major factors of sperm health:

The number of sperm

The shape of the sperm

The movement of the sperm, also known as "sperm motility"

Tests that may be done during a semen analysis include:

Volume - This is a measure of how much semen is present in one ejaculation

Liquefaction time - Semen is a thick gel at the time of ejaculation. It normally becomes liquid within 20 minutes after ejaculation. Liquefaction time is the time it takes for the semen to turn to liquid

Sperm count - This counts the number of sperm present per milliliter (mL) of semen in one ejaculation

Sperm morphology - This is a measure of the percentage of sperm that have a normal shape.

Sperm motility - This is a measure of the percentage of sperm that can move forward normally. The number of sperm that show normal forward movement in a certain amount of semen can also be measured. This is called motile density.

pH - This is a measure of the acidity (low pH) or alkalinity (high pH) of the semen.